Tag Archives: Shooting Stars series

I’m so excited for everyone to catch up with Kyrie and Greg, and to meet Andy–finally!

Blurb:

Greg Dwyer and Kyrie Li are living the glorious couple life in New York City. Or are they? When struggling actor Kyrie lands a modeling job, he’s ecstatic to have extra cash to spend on his best-friend-turned-boyfriend.

Of course, Greg is suspicious Anders Berglund, the gorgeous and androgynous Swedish cover model the designers love to pair with Kyrie, is after his man. And maybe Kyrie encourages a growing closeness with the guy?

Greg is probably to blame if Kyrie is drawn to the openly gay and seriously beautiful Andy. With Andy, Kyrie can be himself, as loud and proud as he’s always been. But Greg’s sexuality stays firmly locked in the closest except when he’s with Kyrie’s supportive family or alone with the man he loves.

To make matters worse, Greg’s out-of-touch mom meets with financial ruin and moves in with the couple, forcing him into the closet in his own home.

Can Greg find a way to stand up to Mommy Dearest and win back a love he fought so hard to reach? He discovers the road to pride begins at home and with accepting oneself first. Otherwise, it’s just a dead-end street.

Excerpt:

Two changing screens filled a large portion of the next room. A woman stood at the rack of clothes, organizing and examining them. She beckoned Kyrie over. He recognized some of his attire hanging before her.

“I’m not confident about the fit in the chest, Daphne.” A soft voice with a delightful Nordic lilt came from behind the screen to his right.

The tall brunette turned. “Let’s see. I can take it in if need be.” Daphne put her hands on her hips, and Anders Berglund stepped out. He wore a black ball gown with ebony feathers accenting the bodice. They created a starkly jagged edge against his bare skin. The material gapped before his pale chest, and Daphne was immediately behind him, tugging, marking the fabric with a piece of chalk.

He grinned like a fool. “That’s me. I’m absolutely-positively-beyond-excited to be working with you.” He stepped forward, hand out, and Anders Berglund took the offering. His grip wasn’t overly firm, soft skin hiding delicate bones beneath.

“My agent sent me your test shots once he found out we were working together.” The words were slow and measured, especially striking on the heels of Kyrie’s run-on exclamation. Anders’ accent hinted of British influence on certain words. Must have learned the Queen’s version. “The camera really loves you.”

“I’m just hoping not to look like a troll next to the world’s current it model.” Kyrie knew he was attractive; he could claim pretty even, with the slight Asian slant to his unusual amber eyes. They popped against the light brown of his skin, accented further by thick, long lashes every woman he met was jealous of.

But Anders Berglund was flawless. His face was already made up: kohl-ringed turquoise eyes framed with what had to be fake lashes, his skin powdered to pale perfection, and berry-red lips with just the right amount of fullness and a perpetual sexy pout whether he was dressed as a man or a woman. His bone structure was impeccable, including high cheeks and the graceful neck to go with his six-foot-tall, ultra-thin frame. Straw-blond hair was piled on his head, escaped locks artfully framing his face. Women wished they looked like him. Men wanted to fuck him, at least until they realized the gorgeous supermodel was actually a man downstairs. And certainly, some men were still hot for him afterward.

Anders Berglund was far from Kyrie’s type, but he could appreciate iconic beauty when it stared back.

“Hah. I don’t think you could ever be a troll.” Anders scratched his shoulder with two fingers where the tip of a feather had to be driving him insane.

“Yeah, I’ll stitch this up a bit tighter.” She unzipped the back of the dress and slid it down. Anders stepped out and stood in black stockings held up by a garter with matching briefs. He waved at Kyrie, all bright white skin, jutting ribs, long limbs, and sharp hip bones. He looked breakable despite his height, like a piece of fine china.

“I would have come an hour early just to avoid hearing that a thousand times.”

Anders’ mouth twitched up. Daphne glared.

The off-white tux behind the other screen wasn’t part of the stash of clothes Kyrie had taken home. He’d been measured at the callback, and the powers that be had custom ordered additional pieces. He slipped into the slim-leg cream pants. If the benefactors of the Spectrum Spectacular truly had cut corners with some of the underthings, the suit was an exception. It draped precisely over his hips, and he twisted to check his ass in the full-length mirror in the center panel of the screen. The silk shirt pressed cool kisses to his chest with every movement he made.

In shape from almost daily running, Kyrie normally relied on skintight pants and formfitting shirts to best display his attributes, but this designer-cut clothing thing he could totally get used to. He scrutinized his butt again as he shrugged into the jacket with black-trimmed lapel.

If Greg could see me now…

Kyrie knotted the black bow tie and stepped out wearing a grin and a kick-tail tux. Daphne was fussing with Anders again, his ball gown back in place.

“What do you say, Andy? May I have this dance?” He swept into a low bow.

“Huh.” Kyrie stepped into the shoes, grumbling and shooting death rays with his eyes. Daphne finished with Anders, and it was Kyrie’s turn to be plucked like a Thanksgiving turkey. By the time she sent him out to the first shoot staging, Kyrie had begun to wonder why anyone would want to be a model.

Hi, everyone! My Hard Act blog tour is winding down and I’ve decided to host myself today. Unconventional, perhaps, but I wrote up a number of posts for the ABCs of romance and I’m afraid my Iwas just a bit…well, unconventional, too. Rather than asking someone else to post my madness, I figured I’ve got just the blog for the job. So, without further ado, I give you I:

I is for isthmus. Not really. I just wanted to see if I could spell that. Better yet, I should try to harken back to my third grade social studies and see if I can define it.

A thin body of land, sorta like a peninsula, that connects two larger pieces of land.

Booyah! I just checked! I wasn’t 100% sure it wasn’t a thin body of water connecting water, but I was right! I guess the water would be a canal, eh? Woop! I’m going on Jeopardy!

And now I feel obligated to make isthmus work in romance.

I may need a drink for this.

<Refills the wine glass>

Okay, here goes. I probably need a diagram to make this work. Yeah…let’s try that.

“While Gio finds himself falling for Lance behind the scenes, he has to pretend to be falling for Kyrie, a cute twenty something college student, in front of the scenes. Kyrie is studying acting, so he puts his skills to good use in front of the camera. The rest is a great story, well played out. The editing is spot on, no typos anywhere. Oh and did I mention there is a dog? If you are a fan of MM stories, please do yourself a favor and get this one. You won’t be disappointed.” 5 Stars from Tamela Gibson

“With near-flawless prose that sparkles with wit and heat, the author leads us hand in hand with Gio as he tries to keep his world from completely crashing down around his ears. The author never makes it easy for Gio, and his soul searching to find the real person under all the rock and roll glitter makes him all too human. As Gio sheds his old self for the new, he finds a new love, Lance, but Gio is not the only one who has past mistakes to account for. The author pulls out all the stops as their hearts and worlds collide.” 5 Stars from J.A. Matthews

“It was well written and actually edited so typo’s were non-existent. Not your typical cookie cutter rocker romance. I liked it as a sequel. Read the first book too!” 4 Stars from Mary

“Since reading Forever is now I feel like I had been waiting forever for the second book in Ms Vale’s series to come out and this does not disappoint. It was a book that was filled with laughter, tears, misunderstandings (Kyrie and Greg), hot scenes between both MCs and a lovely twist that I did not expect.

As described Gio is in the middle of a divorce when the producers of the show wants him to get a boyfriend for the camera – enter Kyrie (gorgeous, funny and sexy to boot that he did grabs some of the scenes from Gio). Gio them meets Lance who knew who and what he wanted, the scene where he first kisses Gio made him open his eye really wide as to what he wanted – Lance.

The two MCs bounced off of each other really well with how they communicated together until the end when I had tears in my eyes (no spoiler included but you need to read) when Lance told Gio who he really was and what he had done (keeping you intrigued now).

Now it is a waiting game for number three to see just how Ms Vale brings together Kyrie and Greg and how funny I can see it will be with hopefully some of the Drama that is Kyrie.” 5 Stars from Bobbie Walker

“Double Takes is a really enjoyable book. I really did liked Gio and Lance, individually and as a couple. The sex was hot without saturating every second page and the plot was very good. I also REALLY liked the occasional dirty talking from both guys – the sex in the gym shower was mmm, mmm, mmm. I also thought Kyrie was a hoot. I would have loved more of him to be honest. If Kimber Vale writes another in the series, and I hope she does, I would love to see the flamboyant Kyrie and the uptight Greg get a book. Oh yes, there is a very interesting relationship right there.” 4.5 Stars from Kazza K.

“So all in all, if you love rocker stories with a twist than I would highly recommend K Vales “Double Takes”. It’s sexy, funny, a little sad, a little surprising, a lot sexy, and a unique story. Loved the fake boyfriend, he was divine and fabulous; loved the twist at the end with Lance; and loved that the ex-wife and Gio were able to settle without destroying their son.” 4 Stars

“The last fifteen percent of this book is totally shocking and fast moving. Very rarely does an author completely blindside me with a plot twist, but Kimber Vale totally got me this time. This book had me laughing out loud in parts, gasping in shock and crying my eyes out.

I loved Forever is Now, but I believe that Gio’s story eclipsed that book completely. I cannot wait to see what is next for these rockers. I would highly recommend y’all joining me on the ride.” 4.5 Stars

———

Double Takes is on sale over on Amazon (for whatever reason) so pick it up while the gettin’ is good (a savings of $1.17 good, that is).

Hey, this is great! I can spare a few minutes to update y’all on my writing progress every week, right? And, let’s be honest, I need to post something here.

Thank you NaNoWriMo for getting my ass moving on all writing fronts!

Anyway, here’s the low down on my NaNo thus far:

A little background info first. I signed up for a month-long challenge on the NaNo site about eight months ago. Guess that would make it April. I think I ended up writing 20K on a book that I still have yet to finish, but anyway, it inspired me to write faster. I’m not a NaNo success story by any stretch of the imagination, and I can freely admit that. I plan to fail miserably this month as well. I’m a planner, and I like my whiskey and my rough drafts pretty damn neat.

That being said, I signed up thinking the starting date would get me to complete my second book in my Shooting Stars series. It (kinda) did. I finished my rough draft of “Double Takes” on the 3rd of November. Not bad. Not too late to start the next one.

But I didn’t feel ready. I spent a few days outlining and doing character sheets and re-outlining. Okay, and formulating a play list of inspirational songs, I’ll be freakin’ honest.

Yes, this is my muse music. Clearly it will be a happy-happy, joy-joy kind of book. 😛

I know some people just jump right in and let the book take them. I’ve tried that. My books take me to brick walls if I don’t have at least a loose sketch of each chapter.

Anyway, I started writing on the fifth, I think, and I finished my first chapter yesterday at 4049. I could conceivably manage 7K words a week going forward, which would put a nice dent in book three.

I also need to start editing Double Takes so I can get that out to beta readers in the next few weeks. All in all, I’m feeling good about my NaNo, doomed to failure though it may be (hell, according to my outline, this book will probably fall in the 40K mark anyway–doomed, I tell ya!). But that’s cool. I’m loving my characters, and the fact that I haven’t submitted book two yet gives me the opportunity to make sure they are consistent in both books.

So, yeah. There’s the report. Check back next week to see if I’m spiraling downward in a flaming plane. 🙂 Magic eight ball says “Signs point to yes.”

What are you working on right now?

Well, I’m trying to finish up my second Shooting Stars book, Double Takes. It’s an MM romance involving a middle-aged, sorta-washed-up rock star and a younger guy. I originally pegged it for 50K words, but I’m there now and still have a sex scene, a climax (not the sex scene kind), and a happy ending (again, not the sex kind) to go. Sigh. I’m thinking 60K at this point.

Gio_veNaLe (Photo credit: Niccolò Caranti)

After that, I have plans for the third in this series, (top-secret title, with a main character who is an actor, not a rocker) but I may take a break to write the futuristic thingy I have keeping me up at night. We’ll see. Book three smacked me upside the head with inspiration while I was in the shower earlier today, so it may win out. It’s gonna be angsty (she said, shaking like an excited terrier)!

How does Double Takes differ from other works in its genre?

It probably doesn’t. 😉 Actually, I think Gio’s book has a pretty original premise, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. And it takes place in my old stomping ground, Bean Town, so it’s near and dear to my heart. The entire book is told only from Gio’s point of view, which was different for me, but a fun writing workout. I had to make my other MC likable and relatable without ever getting in his head (In his pants? Yes, but not in his head). You can check out the first kiss scene from Double Takes posted here, if you are so inclined. And Chance and Alex from Forever do make an appearance in Gio’s book, for anyone who’s wondering.

Why do you write what you do?

Basically, I write what I like to read. I’m also a crazy rock-metal-concert-going-fan-girl, so the music theme in my current series was a natural. I was always a huge fan of rogues and romance ever since I was a young thing who shouldn’t have been reading such business, and I devoured horror, sci-fi, and adventure my entire reading career. Now, I just mash-up my favorite things and hope for the best. I also firmly believe that love isn’t ruled by anything, including gender, so I will write any damn sexual pairing that beckons my muse.

How does your writing process work?

Does it? I’m not so sure. 🙂 I usually have a flash of idea—a character, an overall plot arc, or even a title—that dictates the whole shebang. Very often a song will spark an idea. I plot via an outline and copious scribbles in a black and white composition notebook. When I feel I have enough to actually seal the deal and not get stuck in a plot rut, I start writing. And that’s all she wrote.

Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance, I mean tag three other people.

Exciting news! My “Forever is Now” Name that Dog Blog Tour has come to an end, and I’m so glad I had a bunch of people participate and suggest a ton of really great names. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by and shared their creativity and fun pet stories with me! I had an absolute blast. I have to say, my biggest fear was that I’d only get one or two suggestions and have to pick a crappy name. Not the case! 🙂

The winning name is Fender, supplied by Tamela Gibson. I love it—you’ve got the guitar reference, it’s easily shortened for a fine nickname (not everything is, mind you), and Chance will likely be calling him Fender Bender on occasion because he isn’t the Albert Einstein of dogs. Perfect. I’ve already plugged the name into the book, thereby making it official and irrevocable.

Okay, so what is the giveaway, right? Well, it’s unrelated, but I’m not one to stand on ceremony or write two blog posts when one will suffice. The lovely folks at Coming Together (with whom I recently contracted an M/F military short story) are doing a month-long Facebook/Twitter “like and follow” drive, and are giving away a massive e-pile of books. Check out the Rafflecopter below. I was happy to see that Coming Together: In Vein is one of the many in the bundle. I have a priest/vampire tale in there called “My Soul to Take.”

Vampire Killing Kit (Photo credit: JoshBerglund19)

These anthologies, sold to raise money for a variety of worthy causes, cater to every taste. You’ll find the gamut of sexual pairings to guarantee everyone closes their e-reader with a satisfied smile on their face.

So, the lovely and so philanthropic Victoria Blisse is hosting this fabulous blog hop. She has about 50 hoppers lined up, all posting kissing scenes with giveaways. Frankly, people, you can’t lose. Please consider tossing a small donation toward the charity Doctors Without Borders by clicking the above button. As I’m sure you well know, they do tremendous work the world over, saving lives with minimal resources and little thanks. Here’s a great way to say we care about the work they do!

My kiss comes from my WIP, Double Takes, Shooting Stars Book 2. It probably needs more editing, but this is what happens when I fly by the seat of my pants.

Incidentally, Gio Savale, my (maybe?) bisexual rock star is flying by the seat of his pants in this scene, and loving every minute of it. 😉 For a little back story, he is the star of a reality show he hates, and he and his new friend Lance have just seen a commercial for said show while watching a baseball game at Gio’s place.

———

“What was that all about?” Lance’s warm fingers slid from Gio’s, leaving his hand cold.

“Ah, it’s dumb. The world’s most degrading way to make a paycheck.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Lance stared at something past Gio’s shoulder as he spoke.

“The producers took some stupid poll and found out the viewers want to see me…” Gio paused in search of the right word. What the hell did people want to see? And then it hit him.

“Squirm. They want to see a supposedly bisexual man drowning in the same-sex dating pool. It’s all bullshit—just for ratings.”

“So you’re not really dating that guy?”

“No! Well, yeah, I have to for the show. But not really. It’s just a publicity stunt, you know?”

“So you aren’t bi, then?” Lance cocked his head and skewered Gio with those intense hazel eyes.

“Yeah! No! I mean…it’s not like I…” What the fuck was he even trying to say? You’ve screwed around with guys before, ass munch.

The confused squint of the eyes staring back at him—moss-green with spikes of brown radiating from his pupils—told Gio his answer didn’t exactly make sense to Lance, either.

“I always wondered if those rumors were true before you got married.” Lance made it sound like a question.

“Well, you know how it is…when you’re young, and you party too much. Sometimes you do shit you wouldn’t normally do if you weren’t fucked up, right?” Gio gave a weak laugh.

Lance’s face was introspective and finally he shook his head. “When I was young and I partied too much, I never ended up in bed with a woman, so no…I don’t know.”

Hold the fucking phone. Gio felt something skip inside his chest. It was nauseating and exhilarating all at once. Like a rollercoaster when it crests the top of the hill. He knew it was about to drop—craved the intoxicating feel of free-fall—but was scared shitless at the same time.

Lance placed his dinner on the coffee table and turned to Gio.

What is going on? How do I even respond to that?

“So…?” Gio began, but then Lance’s right hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer to those amazing eyes, his mouth closer to Lance’s flawless one.

Lips, soft yet firm and unbelievably full, pressed to Gio’s and his eyelids pulled down like they were weighted. Fingers carded the hair at the back of his head and lured him to kiss back. Or maybe it was the faint spicy smell Gio now associated with Lance that made his lips pucker and nibble against the other guy’s delicious mouth. Gio detected a hint of lemon poppy-seed dressing as he sucked a voluptuous bottom lip between his own.

Lance’s tongue darted out to lick Gio’s closed mouth and Gio opened to suck in a surprised breath. That had to be why he parted his lips, but Gio’s tongue had a will of its own. It met Lance’s wet tip and they swirled together, exploring each other’s taste, marking new territory in the other’s domain.

Gio heard a low rumble and wasn’t sure if it was he who had groaned or Lance. He wanted to grab the man sitting next to him, wanted to slide his hand up the inseam of his jeans and stroke his dick into dripping hardness. Gio’s own cock was filling, twitching against the constraints of his pants with each meeting of their tongues.

Oh my God, what the hell am I doing? Nothing about this kiss—hot slippery tongues meshing and soft bristles tickling his cheeks—nothing about it was like his memories of other men. Those were hazy and unreal and this was vibrant, electric. His conscience had long ago associated those fleeting, drugged sexual acts with perversion. He had swept them under the carpets of history along with his ancient addictions. But this kiss didn’t make him think of sinfulness and mistakes. It felt right like nothing before ever had. It flooded his senses and his prick and had him aching for more—everything Lance had.

Gio pulled away from his thoughts and Lance’s lips. His breath came in shallow gasps that exposed him as much as the bulge in his pants did. Lance slid his warm hand off Gio’s neck and took a shaky inhalation. Gio swallowed hard as he swiped his hair back with a trembling hand. His plate was still in the other hand, tilting precariously but thankfully not dumped all over the floor. He set it down on the table just as a cheer went up on the television.

The Red Sox had scored a home run. I only got to first base, but man, I was close to dropping to my knees and knocking this one out of the park. What the fuck?

—————-

For my giveaway, I’ll gift an e-copy of Forever is Now, Shooting Stars Book 1. If you’ve already read it, don’t be shy about entering, and we can discuss another prize. To be entered, leave a comment and follow my blog if you aren’t already. I’ll throw everyone into the random.org mixer on Sunday 9/29 and get back to the winner shortly.

Thanks for checking out the snog and spreading the love for Doctors Without Borders! 🙂

What to say about AUFGTTH by Kari Gregg? For one thing, I love the title. It’s just so big.

I’ll admit, my interest was piqued the moment I saw the cover. Sci-fi male/male with what appeared to be a Hunger Games-esque beat?

I wanted it.

But I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the plot via the blurb. What the hell was going on, exactly? I waited for some reviews to pop up and read those. Still, I didn’t really “get it” based on what others were saying either.

So I bought it.

Admittedly, I think I have a better grasp for the whole hunting/off-world system, but during my read I was still fuzzy on some of the rules of the hunt. What was the purpose, precisely? Some guys wanted to get laid. Some cats wanted to get laid. Some species wanted to improve trade relations with a planet whose inhabitants are either fucking people/aliens or killing them. Or maybe fucking them to death? Anyway, now that I’m done, I still don’t have all the answers—as in, I couldn’t possibly write a coherent book report on this without some CliffsNotes and a fair amount of smoke for blowing up people’s asses.

That being said, I still liked it.

Unauthorized Field Guide is brutal and dark. There is a fair amount of bloodshed and broken bones—and I thoroughly enjoyed that. I love gritty.

The sex scenes are both hot and cringe-worthy. Biting, scratching, and barbed penises are the order of the day. They gave me pause and wet panties all at once. Fine and dandy.

Some reviews I’ve read stated that the ending wasn’t satisfactory. I was concerned that the book I had pegged for four stars was going to slip as I hit 80%.

No such thing. The ending was action-packed—savage as the rest of the book, with the “bad guy” behind it all being the person no one expected. There could have been just a smidgen more foreshadowing in that department IMO, but, again, I was a-okay with the grand finale.

Overall, Guide was a fast-paced fuck-fest that tries for a bit of lovey HEA at the end without shoving the rainbow sprinkles down your throat, thankfully.

I liked it, and would recommend to anyone looking for a quick thrill ride that delivers in all the dark and dirty places.

———–

So, what’s the giveaway? That’s what everyone came here for, right? Well, I’m giving away a copy of my new release, “Forever is Now.” Follow my blog and drop me a quick comment to be entered.

Blurb:

If you love someone, set him free. If he steals something of yours, hunt him down and make him sorry.

Alex Bremen is over Chance Ralan. Ever since his high school boyfriend ditched him nine years ago, Alex has barely thought of Chance at all. Sure, Alex attended a concert or two when his ex’s band, Armageddon Showdown, was in the area, but that was more curiosity than anything else. Who wouldn’t want to see firsthand how his once clean-cut boyfriend transformed into a pierced and tattooed heavy metal god?

But when Chance has the nerve to record a love song Alex wrote for him years ago, Alex crosses the country to confront him. Revenge becomes a dish best served sizzling hot. The two men lock horns, but find the chemistry between them has only intensified with time, and occasionally love needs to do some growing up before it can be done right.

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Oh, and don’t forget to check out my “Name that Dog” contest. I need a puppy name ASAP for the furry fellow in my next book in the series. If I pick your suggested name, you’ll get a $20 Amazon gift card, a shout-out in my acknowledgements, and an e-copy of “Double Takes: Shooting Stars Book 2” when it comes out.

Feel free to add your name suggestions in your comments below! 🙂

Click above to be ushered to another random blog hop participant. If you haven’t registered at TRR and/or logged in, click on the button to go to the top right side of the page on TRR to do so. Registration is free, and then you can click your way through the hop, nice and easy. 🙂

My friend, Kate Lowell, was sweet enough to give me step-by-step instructions on these–not once, but twice. She is a love and I am an idiot.

And now I’ve got them, all shiny and new (and in need of frequent updating). I even had to cross multiply to figure out my own percentages. A little math is good for my old left brain once in a while, since that side gets a bit dusty. The code is probably supposed to figure it out for you, but I couldn’t figure that out. For once it was easier to do math [waves idiot sign]. I also happened to find a calculator, so that firmed up my decision to DIY.

Well, if you use WordPress and are suffering from progress bar envy (I know, mine are so big, aren’t they?), I’ll link you to my penis pump, I mean progress bar supplier. You, too, can have big, sexy progress bars in just a matter of minutes.